Share this article

A brand new airline plans to launch direct flights between the UK and Sion airport in the Swiss canton of Valais from next December.

PowdAir will fly from at least five airports in the UK as well as Brussels and Rotterdam, the airport’s director Aline Bovier told news agency ATS.

Flights will operate five days a week during the winter ski season, with tickets going on sale later this month, according to the operator’s website.

Speaking to a UK ski website in February a spokesperson for the airline said the UK airports involved were Southend, Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh.

The flights will significantly reduce skiers’ travel time to major ski resorts in the Valais including Verbier, Crans-Montana, Nendaz, Zinal and Zermatt, all several hours journey from Geneva or Zurich airports.

Flights have already gone on sale through tour operators and the response has been very promising, said Bovier.

The new flight connections could bring “several thousand people a month” to Sion, she added.